Electrospinning and Electrospun Nanofibers: Methods, Materials, and Applications

Abstract

Electrospinning is a versatile and viable technique for generating ultrathin fibers. Remarkable progress has been made with regard to the development of electrospinning methods and engineering of electrospun nanofibers to suit or enable various applications. We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of electrospinning, including the principle, methods, materials, and applications. We begin with a brief introduction to the early history of electrospinning, followed by discussion of its principle and typical apparatus. We then discuss its renaissance over the past two decades as a powerful technology for the production of nanofibers with diversified compositions, structures, and properties. Afterward, we discuss the applications of electrospun nanofibers, including their use as “smart” mats, filtration membranes, catalytic supports, energy harvesting/conversion/storage components, and photonic and electronic devices, as well as biomedical scaffolds. We highlight the most relevant and recent advances related to the applications of electrospun nanofibers by focusing on the most representative examples. We also offer perspectives on the challenges, opportunities, and new directions for future development. At the end, we discuss approaches to the scale-up production of electrospun nanofibers and briefly discuss various types of commercial products based on electrospun nanofibers that have found widespread use in our everyday life.

Nanofibrous Composite with Tailorable Electrical and Mechanical Properties for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

“…As the same collector was used for all samples, this level of alignment in PANi4 was unexpected. However, it has been shown that conductive solutions for electrospinning result in thinner and more homogeneous fibers . The higher conductivity results in the development and extension of the charged jet along a straight line from the Taylor cone; this extension further faces a thinning and more uniform deposition on the ground collector.…”

Nanocomposite Polymer Scaffolds Responding under External Stimuli for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering Applications

“…Electrospinning has been identified as a process of choice allowing the fabrication of such scaffolds with various polymers . During electrospinning, a polymer solution in a semi‐dilute entangled regime is pumped toward a metallic needle which is subjected to an electric field in the order of 1 kV cm −1 . The charged droplet exiting the needle takes the shape of the so‐called Taylor cone from which a jet is propelled toward a collector generally connected to the ground.…”

“…When decreasing the number of polymer chain entanglements in the solution, the resulting less viscous jet breaks into smaller droplets. Under these conditions, solid microparticles are deposited and the process is named electrospraying …”

Transforming Nanofiber Mats into Hierarchical Scaffolds with Graded Changes in Porosity and/or Nanofiber Alignment

“…[5][6][7] Specifically, uniaxially aligned nanofibers exhibit advantages in controlling the orientation, migration, and differentiation of cells, playing a critical role in guiding the regeneration of nerve, tendon, muscle, and vascular tissues. The nanofiber-based mats have shown great potential as scaffolds for applications in tissue engineering.…”